1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for adjusting and controlling ice bridge slab thickness and initiation of ice harvest following the freeze cycle. The adjusting and controlling are performed through the use of adjustable float clip assemblies which set the amount of water available for ice making in a batch process. As such, the adjustable float clip assemblies provide an ice machine user with the ability to easily adjust the ice slab bridge thickness to one of up to five settings. The three primary settings use the general nomenclature of “low”, “medium” and “high”, while the remaining two settings use the nomenclature “very low” and “very high”. The methods and apparatus of the present disclosure allow for changes in ice bridge slab thickness at the site of installation. Additionally, the methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure allow for more precise control of the use of water in the ice making machine during the ice making process. Finally, the methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure allow for the elimination of an ice thickness probe for determining when to initiate the harvest cycle of the ice machine for harvesting the ice.
2. Background of the Art
There are several major types of automatic ice making machines.
Predominant forms of ice produced in such machines are cubes and flakes. Cubes are preferred for cooling carbonated beverages served in cups because cube ice generally causes less foaming of the beverage. Cube ice making machines themselves come in a number of varieties. Some form individual ice cubes, while others, referred to as slab-type machines, have a grid of ice forming pockets that freeze individual cubes. Of the slab type machines, there are continuous and batch ice machines. In the continuous type ice machine, supply water continuously flows into a sump tank of the ice machine as needed and the level of water is maintained by a float device. In the batch type ice machine, supply water fills a sump tank and the water is used to make batches of ice. Once the ice is formed, the ice is harvested and the sump tank is emptied. The sump tank is refilled for the next batch of cubes. An example of a continuous type ice making machine is found in U.S. Pub. Pat. 2010/0139305. An example of a batch type ice making machine is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,580.
In slab type ice making machines, generally ice is allowed to freeze over the edges of the grid to bridge between individual cubes. When it is time to harvest the cubes, the ice bridge holds the cubes together and makes the cubes all come out in one slab, thus helping to achieve a complete harvest. The thickness of the ice bridge can be controlled by adjusting an ice thickness sensor or probe. A thicker bridge may be desirable in some instances from a harvest standpoint, so that all of the cubes come out with the slab. Also, larger ice bridges may cause the ice to harvest in a shorter amount of time due to the added weight of the cubes making up the slab being held together, which helps to overcome any vacuum forces cause by the melting ice against the base of the ice-forming mold. On the other hand, thick ice bridges prevent the individual cubes from breaking apart when the ice falls into a bin. Large clumps must be broken up with a scoop before the ice can be added to a cup. Also, because the ice acts as an insulator, it takes longer to form the next incremental layer of ice the thicker the ice bridge becomes. In terms of the overall production rate of the machine, this often offsets the benefit of faster harvest times achieved with thicker ice bridges.
There are several problems with the typical batch type ice machine. Typical batch making ice machines control the ice bridge thickness with an ice thickness probe. However, any adjustment or repair to the ice thickness probe of a typical batch type ice making machine must be done by certified repair so that the ice making machine remains NSF compliant. Also, to reach a malfunctioning ice probe, at least partial disassembly of the ice machine is usually required. Additionally, in typical batch type ice making machines, the volume of water in the sump tank and used for each batch of ice is set in the factory, not allowing for user control of this factor.